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MONUMENTS & SCULPTURE A.D. 1300 TO 1800
[PART VI At Alirajpur in Jhabua District huge Jaina statues and temples were carved.
At Vidisha, the ancient art-centre, temples and statuary continued to be made during the period. Images of Nāgas and Nāgis and Yakşas and Yaksis of the period have been discovered at Vidisha. At Badoh and Pathari in the same District several Jaina temples, with some fine stone images, were made.
At Samasgarh near Bhadbhada, District Bhopal, some colossal Tirthankara images and decorated architectural pieces of the thirteenth century have been found.
The Vindhya region (Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand) witnessed great activity of Jaina plastic art during the medieval period. Mention may be made of Deogarh, Thubon, Sonāgiri, Dronagiri, Kundalpur, Papaura, Ahas, Rehli, Bina-Barha, Banpur, Barhata, Pajnari and several other sites, where extensive art-activity took place. At Thubon, Kundalpur, BinaBarha and Ahar, building-work continued for a considerable length of time after the twelfth century.
Bina-Barha, District Sagar, 75 km. south-east of Sagar, is located on the bank of the river Sukhchain. It has two temples and a gandha-kuți. The first temple is that of Candraprabha. The image of the deity was installed in the temple in 1775 by Bhatýāraka Mahendra-kirtti. In the temple is an image of Mahāvira, about 4 m. high. The second temple is of Santinátha built in 1746. The image of Sāntinātba enshrined here is in khadgasana and is over 5 m. high. The gandha-kuți is located at a considerable height.
Ahar is situated 20 km. east of Tikamgarh. This sacred place was tastefully beautified by the Candella rulers, who constructed here several buildings and ponds. The extant temples here were built in the eleventh and the succeeding centuries. Apart from the temples of Säntinātha and other Jinas and Bāhubali, there are several māna-stambhas. Inscriptions on the pedestals of images give an account of several branches of the Jainas, who contributed to the development of this centre. A museum has been set up at Ahar.
At Banpur, near Tikamgarh, is an interesting shrine representing a sarvatobhadra-sahasra-küța, with a door on each of the four directions. The shrine, of the Nägara style, is built on the square basement, about 1 m. high. Its entire composition, the decorated pillars, ceilings, garbha-grha and tapering Sikhara are remarkable indeed. The decorative arrangements of
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